Authors

Francesco Salesio Schiavi¹;  ¹ Freelance Analyst and Consultant, Italy

Discussion

In December 2024, amidst an increasingly competitive global landscape and the repercussions of stringent Western sanctions, Russian President Vladimir Putin formally unveiled the BRICS “AI Alliance Network.”1 This initiative aims to position Moscow as a key player in the global AI race while fostering partnerships with emerging powers, including Brazil, India, China, Iran, South Africa, and the UAE. This paper investigates Russia’s AI strategy’s geopolitical, economic, and technological dimensions within the BRICS framework, emphasizing its implications for global governance and international relations. The establishment of the BRICS AI Alliance Network underscores the growing significance of AI in reshaping global power dynamics. Initially comprising 20 companies from six nations but poised to expand, the alliance seeks to facilitate joint research, establish regulatory frameworks, and open new markets for AI technologies across member states. Amid severe restrictions on high-tech hardware imports—particularly GPUs critical to AI development—Russia has turned to its BRICS partners to circumvent Western sanctions, secure critical technologies, and develop alternative supply chains. These efforts align with Moscow’s broader ambitions to bolster its domestic AI capabilities, reflected in a 40% increase in AI-related investments in 2024.2

This paper examines three interrelated dimensions of Russia’s AI push within BRICS:

1. Russia’s geopolitical strategy: the paper will explore the rationale behind Russia’s pivot to the BRICS group, focusing on how this alliance enables Moscow to diversify international partnerships and reduce dependence on Western-dominated technological ecosystems. Through collaboration with countries like China and India, Russia aims to secure access to critical hardware and expertise while advancing shared interests in challenging US technological dominance. Additionally, the inclusion of non-BRICS nations like Serbia and Indonesia highlights the alliance’s expanding geographic and strategic scope.
2. Economic potential: Second, the paper will investigate Russia’s vision of the BRICS AI Alliance as a platform to boost economic cooperation, facilitate trade in AI products, and establish alternative financial mechanisms. With projections that AI could contribute 11.2 trillion rubles ($109 billion) to Russia’s GDP by 20303, the alliance represents a critical avenue for advancing multipolar economic frameworks centred on emerging technologies. The paper evaluates how these dynamics contribute to Russia’s broader efforts to bypass sanctions and accelerate its technological and economic growth.
3. Employment and implications: the study will explore Russia’s broader integration of AI into dual-use technologies, spanning civilian and military applications—mainly through the development of autonomous weapon systems4. The BRICS framework facilitates the exchange of knowledge and resources to develop